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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Whoops, looks like we (and most other sites) skimmed right over this little nugget of casting info. According to the same Variety article posted earlier today, actress Laura Dern has also joined the film (presumably) as Hoffman's character's wife.

Joaquin Phoenix and Laura Dern co-star, with the former playing an alcoholic drifter who becomes his right-hand man and disciple.

Though the article states this as a fact, this is the first official confirmation we're hearing about Dern joining the film. The last time the actress was mentioned for the role was about a month ago and that was still speculation amongst several other names for the wife/daughter roles (Amy Adams, Lena Endre, and Madisen Beaty). But great news nonetheless as anyone who saw Dern's stellar performance in David Lynch's "Inland Empire" can attest.

That's all for today (we think). Carry on.

And stay tuned to Cigarettes & Red Vines on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Things are really starting to happen now. According to Variety, two actors have joined PTA's upcoming still-untitled religious drama (still being referred to as 'The Master'). Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman will be joined by PTA first timer Jesse Plemons (who "Friday Night Lights" fans will recognize as Landry Clarke) and character actor David Warshofsky who appeared briefly as H.M. Tilford in "There Will Be Blood." According to the trade, Plemons will be playing Hoffman's characters son while Warshofsky will be playing a detective. Having not read either draft of the script, this writer couldn't be more excited to see how they figure into the story.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Today's Flashback Friday features an interview between Paul and "his favorite actor" John C. Reilly circa January 2000 in Movieline magazine. Enjoy!

Life of Reilly

A conversation between Boogie Nights director Paul Thomas Anderson and his favorite actor, John C. Reilly, reveals what it’s like for Reilly to be starring in Anderson’s new Magnolia, which features a supporting player named Tom Cruise.

John C. Reilly is an unsung hero of American movies. The appealingly grizzled, gruff-looking 34-year-old has given indelible performance in movies like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Dolores Claiborne, Georgia, Boogie Nights, The Thin Red Line and For the Love of the Game without attaining critical-darling status the way a showier actor might have. Reilly’s cult following is made up of those who appreciate an absolute natural. It isn’t so much that you don’t catch him making a false move. It’s more like you don’t catch him acting. Reilly’s biggest Hollywood fan is Paul Thomas Anderson, the writer/director who has used him most astutely to date, first in Hard Eight, then in Boogie Nights, and now in his new film, Magnolia. Anderson has such confidence in Reilly that, even though Tom Cruise is also in the movie, Reilly is the film’s romantic lead. What better person to interview Reilly than the director who sees so much in him?

Paul Thomas Anderson: I first became aware of you when I saw your first movie Casualties of War. Then you worked with Sean Penn again in We’re No Angels and State of Grace and I thought you were almost his sidekick, but also a really good actor.

John C. Reilly: It was like, would you like an entrée of Sean Penn with a side of John C. Reilly? Although I got along well with Sean as an actor, I purposely didn’t spend a lot of personal time with him and I didn’t want people to think that I was getting parts because I was his friend. By the time we did The Thin Red Line together, we were fucking sick and tired of each other and were like, “Oh, you old woman, just leave me alone.”

Q: Your first branch-off from Penn was Days of Thunder, which was with Tom Cruise, and now you’re in Magnolia together.

A: I love Tom and think he’s a great actor, but at the time it was all about working with Robert Duvall. That movie was a bizarre experience. I was coming off serious movies and suddenly there’s Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in their fucking heyday like Sodom and Gomorrah. It was a fall from grace for me as a young man to see the decadence that movie and Hollywood at its most extreme - $100,000 parties and recruiting girls off the beach to come be extras. It was nuts.

Q: Actually, between Days of Thunder and Magnolia, you starred in the short film Tom directed for Showtime’s series Fallen Angels, “The Frightening Frammis.” Tom told me he was concerned he wouldn’t get you for his movie, and I was concerned I wouldn’t get you for Hard Eight because you were too big a star to do it.

A: Which is so the opposite of my pathetic life. I was told Tom wanted to meet me, but it seemed like he didn’t doubt at all I was gonna do it. He was like, “OK, we’re starting on Wednesday, could you comb your hair down?”

Q: So, how does it feel now to be the star of a Tom Cruise movie?

A: It didn’t cross my mind. I’m glad it didn’t, because it would have been more pressure. I just felt like I was part of this huge jigsaw.

Q: Do you feel excited about being “the character actor who gets the girl” in the movie?

A: The thing is, you seemed to be writing for me before we even knew each other. I felt like we were already on the same wavelength when we met.

Q: How would you describe the differences in shooting Hard Eight, Boogie Nights and Magnolia?

A: Hard Eight was like we billed somebody’s rich uncle and were getting away with some crazy scheme out in the desert and had to finish before anyone figured out what happened. Gwyneth Paltrow was fairly new in the movie business and it was exciting, all of us giddy with getting to know each other. We knew we were doing a good, original movie. By Boogie Nights, we already had our groove on. This really felt like we were in the big time. One great thing about the three characters I’ve played in your movies is that they’re so committed to the dream of their life, they’re just unshakable. There’s something really poignant and funny about people like that.

Q: What about the vibe on Magnolia?

A: You just took it to the next level and came into your own. There were certain aspects of Boogie Nights that, because of its size, seemed like you were kinda playing it by ear. On Magnolia, it was like, “All right, I don’t have to play it by ear. I know what I like to say and the ways to say it.” It was a very intricate masterwork and you pulled it off.

Q: The character I wrote for you stems from the summer a movie project was taken away from me. In our restlessness, we did video improvs of faux Cops episodes with you and Philip Seymour Hoffman. That’s how the dialogue and characters were created, directly from the improvs – it was a character you’d already lived with for two years.

A: Those improv videos were so great because we were just having a blast. The guy became more grounded in your script.

Q: Remember you once asked me, “Come on, man, can’t you write me a sunrise where I get the fucking girl?” It’s kind of a romantic leading man, right?

A: You did this with a few people in Magnolia – tapped into what’s real not just for the characters, but for the people playing them. In the beginning, it was kind of a joke: “Be careful what you say around Paul, it’ll end up in the movie.” Now, that’s just become a given. But I can’t be “cool John” in front of you. I lay it on the line. I say stupid shit to people. I don’t try to hide my personality at all.

Q: Do you think you’ll get to a point where you just don’t do any publicity?

A: If a project’s success depends on your promoting it, you should promote it. I’m just like an Irish bullshit artist from way back, so I don’t mind. It’s kind of like therapy. puff-piece therapy. There’s this code of silence on a press junket, like you just talk about how great your costars were and how Kevin Costner wasn’t a total prick.

Q: A portion of me thinks that the true appreciation of your work won’t happen until your movies are playing on AMC 40 years from now, a sort of “He was the fucking greatest,” sort of like looking back now on Elisha Cook Jr. or someone.

A: I think I’m appreciated by people who watch movies to the degree that they don’t know who I am from movie to movie. That’s actually a compliment. Some people think I’m just stupid for this, but I try think in long-term goals, to do work that I can be proud of in 10, 20 years, not just disposable crap that made everyone chuckle in the moment.

Q: [Sardonically] And what’s the name of the movie you’re making – The Perfect Storm?

A: Good movie, man. A good character in this movie. Wolfgang Petersen’s directing it. I just want it to be Das Boot, not Air Force One.

Q: Anyway, hopefully this is the last movie we’ll ever make together. I met Oliver Platt today.

A: Hey, I’m just trying to become the Michael Caine/Gene Hackman of my generation.

If you follow us on Twitter and Facebook you will already know that according to SFist, 'The Master' will begin filming in the Bay Area, specifically Vallejo "with some shooting at sea." So stay tuned, it sounds like we should have some really exciting stuff coming up soon.

Friday, May 20, 2011

A quick bit of Friday news for you all. As you may be aware, the Cannes Film Festival is underway in France right now and filmmakers/provacateur/friend of PTA, Lars Von Trier has gotten himself into a bit of trouble over some remarks he made during a press conference. But we're not here to talk about what is presumably a misunderstanding from the troublemaking auteur, we're here to mention that he got the idea for his latest leading lady from Paul! According to an interview with Von Trier for Indiewire...

So you ended up casting Kirsten Dunst, who gives a great performance. Had you seen her in something like “Spiderman”?
I have seen her in several things, but I had had a long discussion with Paul Thomas Anderson years ago about this project, and he suggested her. And she was available.

So there you have it. While we're not sure how the pair know each other, it's cool to see Paul recommend the actress even though the duo have yet to work together.
In other non-news, if you missed it at the end of our last post we rather cryptically suggested checking out John Huston's 1979 religious satire, "Wise Blood." While we can't confirm it as an official DVD pick, it seems there may be a few surface similarities in that film and what we know about 'The Master' project so far. So if you're into that kind of thing, the film is available on Hulu+ and Netflix from the Criterion Collection.
So, happy Friday. And as always, you can get the latest news on Cigarettes & Red Vines on Twitter and Facebook.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A few small tidbits here since we've all been waiting so patiently for the last week. First up is a look at some promo art for "Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project" which was unveiled at Cannes (and you can check out below). Likely whipped up in no time at all (since no filming has taken place yet) by someone (intern) at The Weinstein Co. to help sell the film to foreign distributors during the international film festival, the image is nonetheless exciting because it means that after nearly 4 years the project is actually happening. It's definitely a little familiar stylistically so don't expect the actual teaser poster to look anything like this.

According to some rumors on the imdb boards, (usually never to be trusted, but these seem fairly credible), an untitled film is looking for 40's/50's era extras in the San Francisco Bay Area to film in the small town of Crockett, CA in June. This seems to jibe with what we've heard about the film so far, so it's definitely a possibility and if anyone has any further info please send it along. (via @imdbLive and xixax.)

And as always, you can get the latest news on Cigarettes & Red Vines on Twitter and Facebook.

Monday, May 09, 2011

Hold on to your butts, this is probably the biggest news day of the year. According to Deadline, the stars have aligned and the project informally known as 'The Master' will indeed begin filming this year, June 13 specifically. Additionally, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix are locked for the roles of The Master and Freddie Sutton. With just over a month until filming begins, expect lots of casting news to start trickling in. Reportedly Paul is interested in Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Lena Endre, and Madisen Beaty for (presumably) the roles of The Master's wife and daughter (previously rumored for the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone and Deborah Ann Woll) though none are confirmed at this time.

Apparently Paul has greatly overhauled the script since last year when production was halted. The synopsis now reads "Hoffman stars as a man who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls" So even those that read the early draft that circulated last year can expect more than a few surprises from the final version. Oh, and if that wasn't enough good news, (savior of film) Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures will finance the $35 million production with The Weinstein Co. handling the worldwide rights. We should find out in the next few weeks whether or not the film will indeed be shooting in 65mm or who might replace DP Robert Elswit should our tipster's report turn out to be accurate.